Baldwin County commissioners challenge critical editorial

View full sizeFILE - The Baldwin County commissioners have challenged a Press-Register editorial criticizing the commission's government.

BAY MINETTE, Alabama -- Baldwin County commissioners on Tuesday defended their handling of government operations following a scathing editorial in last week’s Press-Register.

At the same meeting, bowing to public pressure, the commissioners expedited an agreement with the county library cooperative to provide immediate funding rather than withhold appropriations for 2 weeks.

Commissioner Frank Burt said he was "disappointed" to read the newspaper headline, "Bad government in Baldwin," which guided readers to the editorial. He suggested that it lumped all elected officials — whether sheriff, probate judge, revenue commissioner or city leaders — in the same category. He said the editorial by the newspaper was "inappropriate and not thoughtful" and did a "great disservice to all the citizens of the county and misrepresented this body."

He said he was concerned enough to write a letter to the editor but opted instead to address the criticism in the public meeting.

"Just as the newspaper brings information from their pulpit," Burt said, "we can bring ours from right here."

Burt said that the commissioners may passionately disagree on some issues but not others. He said that the printed news reports distorted their deliberations.

Chairman Bob James, who touched off controversy last week by eliminating media questions, commissioner comments and public comment from work sessions, said the commission’s governing did not warrant the criticism published in the newspaper.

"We work as a body," he said. "We are all trying to make Baldwin County better and be sure taxpayer dollars are spent wisely and efficiently."

He said the commission has worked to bring transparency to government, adding online webcasts of regular meetings, online checkbook information and "cutting-edge" access to public records.

"We want open government," he said, "and we are open to the press if they are respectful."

Last week, James declined to address questions regarding the changes to work sessions, deferring responses until Tuesday’s regular meeting.

James said work sessions are for commissioners to discuss issues and entertaining added comments and questions wastes time "with highly paid staff sitting in meetings when they could be working."

He said commissioners may speak at any time by asking the chairman for the floor, and, as a courtesy, the media may ask questions once a meeting is adjourned.

He said commissioners can be "put on the spot" by questions asked during a meeting. He said he would entertain questions in interviews for television reporters but would not "take email questions."

Asked if he would prefer tape-recorded interviews, he said he did not have problems with most reporters but had a "communication issue" with the Press-Register reporter.

Commissioner Tucker Dorsey said the Friday editorial "mischaracterized" Baldwin government. He said that all four commissioners bring valuable skill sets to the table in decision-making that "works the way it’s supposed to."

Dorsey cited advances in controlling the budget and improved relations with the school board, municipalities and Montgomery officials, as well as "dramatically increased access to government."

Commissioner Charles "Skip" Gruber said he saw things differently. According to Gruber, the larger problem is commissioners speaking out of turn before knowing the issues.

Commissioners voted unanimously Tuesday to approve an expedited agreement with the Baldwin County Library Cooperative, allowing it to resume operations with a quarterly check issued the same day.

The cooperative was caught short of cash last week when James mandated that it provide an annual financial statement before allocated money could be sent.

County Clerk/Treasurer Kim Creech said she had been involved in a review of the cooperative’s books and would be helping to reconcile accounts and bring bookkeeping to county standards.

"I’m very happy about it," cooperative director Liz Reed said after the vote. "We’ve had a wonderful relationship with the commission, and we want to maintain that."